How to Make Syrian Walnut Dip: Easy Muhammara Recipe

Muhammara ("reddened" in Arabic) is a red pepper dip from Aleppo, Syria. Made with hot Aleppo peppers and earthy walnuts, muhammara dip is spicy enough to wake up your senses, but not so intense that you wouldn't want to slather it on toast. This delicious dip has spread to Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey, where it's served with bread, vegetables, and meat alike.

Muhammara has four basic ingredients.

1. 1. Peppers: Hot peppers, fresh or dry, give muhammara its flavor. Since whole Aleppo peppers are rare outside of Middle Eastern grocery stores, you can substitute a combination of red bell peppers and spicy ground Aleppo pepper. You can also use fresh bell peppers and roast them yourself, or substitute jarred roasted red bell peppers for a shortcut. Aleppo peppers can be up to four times as spicy as a green jalapeño, and they’re about equal in heat to a ripe, red jalapeño pepper. If you have red jalapeños, you can use them to make muhammara in the more traditional way.
2. 2. Walnuts: Walnuts add body to the dip, and they tone down the spiciness. For the best flavor, toast whole walnuts, then rub them in a clean dish towel to remove as much of the bitter skins as possible.
3. 3. Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs serve as an additional thickener in muhammara. For a gluten-free dip, simply substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs. It's easy to make your own breadcrumbs by toasting stale bread and then pulsing it in a food processor.
4. 4. Olive oil: Olive oil helps muhammara emulsify into a luscious, creamy texture. If you use high-quality extra virgin olive oil, you'll also get a hit of flavor. Just make sure your olive oil isn't so intensely flavored that it overpowers the other ingredients.

Optional flavorings include pomegranate molasses, cumin, fresh lemon juice, and garlic.

Some people compare muhammara to harissa, the North African roasted red pepper dip. Muhammara contains walnuts and breadcrumbs, both of which thicken the sauce and make it mild enough to spread on toast. Where harissa is heavily spiced, typically featuring caraway and coriander, muhammara traditionally has either no additional seasonings or a little cumin and pomegranate molasses, allowing the flavors of the peppers and walnuts to shine. In this way, muhammara is more like a spicy version of romesco, the Italian red pepper and tomato dip thickened with almonds or pine nuts.

The classic way to enjoy muhammara is as an appetizer with crudités and toasted pita bread or pita chips. Make it part of a mezze (Middle Eastern appetizer platter) by serving muhammara with other dips, such as hummus. You can also use muhammara as a condiment and serve it with kebabs or sandwiches.